Rye Creek | Wild Camping

April 24th, 2024 by bcarkido

Beautiful site just south of Payson. Great Verizon service! Easy in and out, as long as it's dry. Very quiet, just faint highway noise in the distance.

April 22nd, 2024 by artisticcrystallography80

This was a beautiful spot but we had to pack it up and leave at 9:30 pm to stay at Walmart in town because there was a guy screaming and banging on his camper for hours and just didn’t feel safe.
All of that aside there was strong Verizon service and mountain views from every direction. I would just be sure to thoroughly check your surroundings before you settle in for the night.

April 22nd, 2024 by bcarkido

This is a beautiful site! There may be other campers, but I feel very secluded and safe. The road leading in is very passible by any rig, but I wouldn't try it if it has rained.

March 17th, 2024 by Steve Stewart

Nice spot. Some highway noise, but beautiful!

February 1st, 2024 by dshy63

Nice and large area. Easy drive up on washboard. Lots of room. Exposed to wind.

January 21st, 2024 by stormreads

Many places to pull off. Nice spots except for all the trash! Good cell service, quiet.

April 29th, 2023 by partnerwithpauly.com

Vast open land. Primitive camping at its best. Plenty of spots available. Stop by if you want a small free fridge. I dont need it anymore. Im here till Monday May 1st. Beige chevy van.

April 23rd, 2023 by Lars

Great find. Dry, and everything is green. Going to be a great sunrise. 3 bars of T mobile

March 29th, 2023 by RAV4Girl

Popped by here for a night at dark. Went a mile or so further and got an epic spot. We are SUV and small Travel Trailer, 32 feet. Fit great. Epic camp spot! We loved seeing the mountains in the background this morning, so gorgeous

The road in got a little sketchy here and there so if you’re a wide rig, I’d recommend stopping at the first big spot (I assume these coordinates).

March 20th, 2023 by skystarlite

just south of Payson! you don’t have to go too far off the main road to find a spot. unfortunately we camped here while it was raining and ended up getting stuck in thick mud (a really kind local came through to pull us out). that being said, if you don’t have 4WD, don’t camp here when wet.

March 20th, 2023 by 1997andrewstewart

Good spot when dry. We stayed here one night and got majorly stuck in the mud while trying to leave. The road itself is drives me because it’s hard pack dirt but everything else is clay and turns to peanut butter the moment it gets wet. We weren’t able to get any of the towing complies to come pull us out and the 4x4 towing company wanted $600 to do it so we had to recruit some locals with a truck and a chain. So don’t be dumb like me and go stay at Walmart if it’s wet

March 17th, 2023 by tommyhanks

As described above. Nice spot. Flat. Plenty of space. One tent camper across the road. Could get slippery if raining. No big rigs in my estimation. We have a 4x4 pickup with a camper in the bed. Great Verizon coverage

October 8th, 2022 by terynns

Went here as a solo female camper and felt completely safe (this can be huge for us solo women!). Beautiful sunrise in the morning hitting the mountain range behind you. Road was definitely manageable in my Kia sorrento. Did come after a rain and it was a little muddy, so didn’t go too far back. Did get a little visit from a small cow family the next morning as I was packing up 😁

June 1st, 2021 by SouthwestVoyager

About 2 miles in from the HWY. Plenty of room all along the roadside. Quiet with some nice sunset views.

December 9th, 2020 by bigben828

Excellent spots all down this dirt/gravel road. Acessible by all vehicles though a bit bumpy in places. Awesome views of the surrounding mountains.
No amenities.
Full bar Verizon service.

December 9th, 2020 by hilaryfbird

dirt road in good condition, a few campers at the first sites so i drove back further. here on a weekday in December and pleasant temps, not crowded. great ATT coverage. not a ton of pull-offs but the ones that do exist are flat and have fire rings.

April 16th, 2020 by rosiepops0786

Off highway 87 between Payson and the turning for Lake Roosevelt near the tiny village (no amenities) of Rye.
Very vast area with many dispersed spots all along the road, that are mostly flat. So you could stop before here or even carry on...Beautiful surroundings with mountain views all around you! Fire pits in most spots too.
Highway is in the distance so there’s no traffic noise or very faint. The dirt road leading to the spot is a little rough and bumpy in some spots but nothing too bad (I managed fine with Dodge Caravan 2WD). Not sure how the road gets after as I found a good place for the night here, but big rigs and RV’s could be seen in the distance further along the dirt road so I’m guessing it’s manageable. Fine when dry weather but the dirt road might need 4WD if it’s raining as some parts are red soil and some potholes (that you can avoid if driving carefully). This is Free Boondocking in the Tonto National Forest, so « pack in, pack out » rule :) to preserve this beautiful land...No amenities, just beautiful Nature and mountain views, with Rye Creek in the distance :) Beautiful sunset!!
Payson is 15minutes away and has all the Amenities you need (gas, food etc), and it’s a great spot for hiking the beautiful trails of Payson and Pine, or to head south to explore Lake Roosevelt!
Excellent AT&T signal!
Oh, and you might get some Moo Moo’s visiting lol, but ever so harmless and all they do is eat the grass and moo. They visited for 10 minutes then went on to pastures new :)